Yahoo CEO Gets Heat for Missing Out on Top Talent

by Christopher Freeburn | March 12, 2013 12:45 pm

[1]An inside source tells Reuters that at a company meeting last month an employee asked Yahoo (NASDAQ:YHOO[2]) CEO Marissa Mayer if some top-level engineering talent was bypassing the company due to her strict hiring process[3]. Mayer is said to personally interview every candidate and insists on high standards.

Replying to the question, Mayer reportedly said, “Why can’t we just be good at hiring?” In January, Mayer told shareholders that the number of job seekers applying to Yahoo had increased. She also indicated that the struggling Internet search giant was losing less of its top level talent to rivals since she became CEO.

Yahoo has faced hiring challenges for some time as its reputation in the technology industry has slipped. The company is currently looking to fill 900 positions, 8% of its total payroll. Mayer has moved to bolster the quality of new hires by imposing a more rigorous screening process.

Insiders say that Mayer is trying to boost the level of management discipline at Yahoo. Last month, she provoked some criticism by ending the company’s policy of allowing employees to work from home[4].